Nine chapters of the original First draft. I will provide updates when I can on what will happen next with this story. :)
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Ali Anglesey is the picture of grace, elegance, and poise. She's worked hard to be perfect girl appearance wise, aesthetic...
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"Eyes have a language all their own." ~ Unknown
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"Ouch!!!"
The word escapes instantaneously as I bump into the corner of my vanity while jumping into my black skinny jeans and I'm positive the collision going to leave a bruise. There is no way I have already gained weight, inwardly I panic as I finally manage to pull my pants all the way on. It has only been a week since my last ballet class. I look in the mirror to pinch my stomach and immediately make a mental note to sign up for some night time ballet classes without telling my roommates. Technically, I have probably lost weight - i.e. muscle mass - since leaving the company, but the thought of getting too soft makes me shudder. What a true ballerina idiosyncrasy and one that I will most likely struggle with for the rest of my life.
Not to self: you need more therapy. My mind mocks me.
"Why is it so fucking cold in here?!" Emma yells from the hallway through my cracked door, clearly headed for the thermometer.
After a wonderful breakfast Emma, Casen and I had a dance party in the living room while finishing off our second pot of coffee. That was promptly followed by our shower routine and getting ready which typically includes Emma and I blowing a fuse with our hair dryers. After blowing the fuse twice (our apartment is apparently struggling this morning), I'd given up on heating my curling iron and pulled my hair up into a messy bun.
I adjust my argyle socks underneath my jeans before buttoning them.
"...Shake it, Shake it, Shake it, Shake it like a Polaroid picture," Outcasts blasts on our living room stereo as Casen pushes my door all the way open and shakes his hand while circling his hips seductively in my teal towel he'd stolen. I can't resist busting out laughing as I stand there in my bra and skinny jeans. Emma quickly joins in right before Casen slips and loses his footing, falling into Emma and colliding with the wall.
Laughter ricochets through our apartment. Our neighbors are going to have a word or two for us. This is the goodness I relish in, though, because with these two beautiful souls is were I'm most comfortable. Where I don't have to put on a face and pretend to be something I'm not. Where I can actually be the person I want to be all the time or at least the person I feel I could be all the time if my life had been different... A carefree young twenty-something year old. They make me feel normal.
"Jesus, Casen, you're going to kill me," Emma snorts between fits of giggles.
"Yes, I can heal you alright," Casen replies flirtatiously.
"Get a room," I scoff before going to my closet to find a sweater. I pull out a mustard yellow cashmere crew-neck sweater and a cream colored long sleeve thin blouse. I slide the blouse over my head, content that it's not wrinkled and slide my sweater on over it, adjusting the collar and smoothing it. Then I grab my same black riding boots I'd worn the day prior and slide them on. Skipping around my bed I realize I've had far too much coffee as I open my jewelry box and pull out a thin gold and silver disk necklace with a humming bird engraved on one side. Hesitantly I place it back into the box and pull out a vintage cameo pendant necklace and matching earrings instead. As I loop my earrings through my ears I stare at the disk necklace. I finger it with one hand and it falls over the edge to reveal the Hope engraved on the other side. Shoving aside my thoughts of this morning's conversation with Emma, I grab my electric blue mourning ring beside it and put it on before grabbing a vintage bronzed bracelet.
